No, I'm not referring to the old football classic from the Commodore era. Instead I refer to four years of hootin' and hollerin' over games that infuriate me, engage me, or simply wow me. Whether people visit my little corner of the web or not is inconsequential to my affairs, but Beat All Games has helped push me to play some games I'd never think of playing - for better or worse. Otherwise, I'd probably be like so many other gamers out there and stick with what's comfotable, with whatever's fresh and popular, with whatever's on the most current systems. I'd still take nostalgic trips to my NES, SNES, Genesis, PlayStation, or what have you, but I'd likely return to the same titles that I grew up loving and nary venture into the unknown. Beat All Games has also helped me grow my collection as I continue to try and pick up games I've never heard of or caught wind of somewhere else on the net - enough to grab my attention and make me say, "I've got to get that game." So to the very existence of Beat All Games I say kudos.
This calls for a celebration and Beat All Games celebrates the only way it knows how: posting arbitrary lists for the sake of adding more useless lists out in internet land. But what's more, unlike last year, I've actually added a bevy - well, maybe not a bevy, but a fair amount - of games to my completion log. Perhaps fair amount is itself the definition of exaggeration, but for once my completion total has been on the upswing - a first since the beginning of this little experiment in gaming. Ta-da!
It's been a while since I've done a top/worst five, so perhaps I'll throw one of those up on the board. There's been a number of games since I last made such a list so there's a good chance my new list will no longer replicate my old list. In fact, I know it doesn't, although a few games from the old list still retain their positions. It's very likely a couple of those titles will stand the test of time in their current positions. First, I'll list my top five games taken down since the beginning of Beat All Games followed up by the worst five.
Top 5
5. XBox One - Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition
It managed to eek its way onto the list; not by merit, but by time. One of the tightest, most engaging nouveau platformers I've played.
4. Super Nintendo - The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
One of those titles where I forget just how incredible it is as time passes. Then I play it and am simply blown away.
3. Nintendo Entertainment System - Super Mario Bros. 3
I admit nostalgia, but at the same time, I find it an absolute thrill every time I boot it up.
2. PC - VVVVVV
If less is more, it's no wonder this game is held in such high regard. It's a marvel of simplistic innovation taken to the extreme.
1. PlayStation 2 - Katamari Damacy
Rounding out simplicity, Katamari takes it a step further and wins with campy joyfulness and addicting gameplay - not to mention incredible music.
Bottom 5
5. Sega Master System - Sonic the Hedgehog 2
It saddens me that an early Sonic game could be this horribly designed. Not expecting 16-bit miracles, but considering the first game, what went wrong?
4. XBox - Fable: The Lost Chapters
I still believe this could have been a great game if it weren't for stupid developmental decisions and extraneous bullshit clogging the tubes.
3. Dreamcast - Shenmue
I've never been more baffled over general opinion regarding a game, except perhaps for Majora's Mask. Shenmue is an awful, boring, hollow affair.
2. Genesis - TechnoCop
Perhaps if the developers weren't so scatterbrained regarding TechnoCop's structure, something would be halfway functional - be it driving or platforming or...anything.
1. Nintendo Entertainment System - Where's Waldo?
I feel sorry for anyone who paid good money for this "game" back in the day. Total gaming garbage right here.
And before I go.... Up until now, with a few exceptions here and there, I've tried my best to follow franchises in order. While I'm still going to try and do that when and if I can, I've decided to be far less stringent moving forward. The upside of such a rule is I can better gauge implementations of certain mechanics and judge failings or improvements from title to title. An example, which affected my view on the game, was when I played Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle before playing Alex Kidd in Miracle World. Both games are great, but sadly I skewed my perception of Miracle World because I played the vastly superior Enchanted Castle first.
That being said, I've purposefully put off a number of games that I'm eager to play because I'm trying to track down a preceding title first or I have said title and I'm currently suffering through a bad gaming experience. The Smash Bros. series is a good example as I'm just not enjoying the N64 title whatsoever. I hate the controls, and...everything, I just hate everything about this game and I'm having a miserable time playing it, but I love both Melee and Brawl. Certain titles, for various reasons, I'll likely abide by sequential order as best I can whereas other titles - hey, it's fair game.
If anything, I have a sneaky suspicion my completion count will be positively affected by this as well since I know I've been holding wins back as I try to sneak in an earlier title - q.v. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance series.
And so, huzzah! Four years, and here's to hoping the upswing continues.
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